This guide is intended to be your one-stop-shop for valuable information and resources about social work, both as a field and as a course of study. Our intent is to provide interested parties with ample resources that are useful to those who are either employed or currently pursuing a career in the field of social work.
Within this guide, one will find a number of highly relevant resources divided into categories such as associations, websites, blogs, and even twitter accounts of notable professionals within the field of social work.
Whether a professional social worker currently employed within the field or a student in search of resources to aid in successful entry into the field, this resource guide has something for everyone.
Social Work Associations
National Association of Social Workers (NASW) – The National Association of Social Workers is one of the fastest growing associations within the field of social work. The purpose of this association is to positively influence the ethics and work behaviors of social workers throughout the nation.
Clinical Social Work Association – The Clinical Social Work Association is a group rooted within a federation formed over 30 years ago. The purpose of this association is to support those employed within the clinical social work field, new professionals, and students pursuing an education within the field.
School Social Work Association of America (SSWAA) – The School Social Work Association of America seeks to promote and support social workers employed within the school system. Their goal is to use the field of social work to help enhance and promote the success of students within the school system.
Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) – The Association of Social Work Boards seeks to enhance the effectiveness of the various regulatory boards in order to further protect the public. This association hopes to increase the overall competence of social workers within the field.
North American Association of Christians in Social Work (NAACSW) – The North American Association of Christians in Social Work is an association that seeks to connect and support social workers who identify as followers of Christianity within the field.
National Association of Black Social Workers (NABSW) – The National Association of Black Social Workers is an association that targets social issues affecting those of African ancestry. This association would like to reduce the levels of oppression and racial dominance that have adversely affected those of African ancestry throughout the nation.
Association of Oncology Social Workers (AOSW) – The Association of Oncology Social Workers assists and supports social workers who work with communities and individuals coping with the various aspects of cancer.
Social Work Blogs
Social Work Blog– This is the official blog of the National Association of Social Workers.
Everyone Needs Therapy– This blog is written by a social worker who believes that all people should seek help if they ever feel that they need it.
Katie Malinkski, LCSW- This is the blog of Katie Malinski, LCSW. She is a licensed clinical social worker who specializes in parenting and family therapy issues.
Social Work Tech Blog– Social workers who are seeking to incorporate technology into their practice will find numerous tips and a multitude of info on this blog.
NCCPR Child Welfare Blog– Social workers working within the child welfare and foster care systems will find an abundance of information and support on this blog.
Dryblog – Social workers dealing with substance abusers will find a large array of information on this blog.
A Social Workers View– Hot button topics that spark debate such as gender and sexuality issues are all explored in this blog.
Social Worker: That’s So Messed Up– A social worker offers a tell all of some of her most disturbing cases in this blog. The names and locations have all been changed to protect the identities of the clients.
Fried Social Worker Blog– This blog functions as a place for psychologically exhausted social workers to vent after a difficult work week out in the field.
Do No Harm – The Do No Harm blog focuses upon issues within the social work field such as reporting instances of possible child endangerment.
Social Work Databases and Journals
Social Work – The Social Work journal is one of the most well-known journals within the field of social work. This journal is targeted towards professionals, students, and educational faculty within the social work field.
Children & Schools- The Children & Schools journal is specifically geared towards practitioners. It is meant to be a peer-reviewed publication that focuses on issues directly related to social work within the school system. This includes issues such as ADHD, violence, evaluations and a number of other issues that affect students within the educational system.
Health & Social Work- The Health & Social Work journal is a journal that predominately focuses on social work issues within the health care system. In publication for over 20 years and counting, this journal covers issues such as aging, oncology and maternal issues among other things.
Social Work Research- The Social Work Research journal approaches the issues addressed in the field of social work from an analytic and research based point of view. Widely regarded as the foremost journal for analytical research within the field of social work, this journal offers the scientific facts and data pertinent to social workers. http://naswpress.org
Social Work Abstracts- Social Work Abstracts takes the most relevant and pertinent abstracts within the field of social work and publishes around 500 of them on a quarterly basis. This service has been operating for over 30 years and is the starting point for many literature searches. http://naswpress.org
EBSCO Host– EBSCO host is a platform that allows searchers to find a number of peer reviewed journals and research abstracts. This database has hundreds of thousands of abstracts and journals dating back as far as the 1960s.
Ovid– Ovid is a database that has a large number of peer reviewed journals and abstracts that can be searched from as far back as 1968. Each abstract is classified by subject matter and field.
Professional Organizations and Societies for Social Workers
National Organization of Forensic Social Work (NOFSW) – This organization seeks to support social workers who work specifically within the legal system and in circumstances involving the law.
Latino Social Work Organization – This organization supports those of Latino heritage who work within the social work field.
Society for Social Work and Research– This organization, started in 1994, seeks to aid in the improvement of research efforts within the field of social work. Members of this organization are often the educational faculty within higher education schools, students pursuing their masters or doctorates, and research staff.
Council on Social Work Education– The purpose of this nonprofit organization is to increase the level of competency within the field of social work, and it has been in operation since 1952.
Action Network for Social Work Education and Research – The Action Network for Social Work Education and Research is a collaborative effort between a number of other social work organizations. These organizations include: the Association of Baccalaureate Social Work Program Directors, Institute for the Advancement of Social Work Research, Group for the Advancement of Doctoral Education, Society for Social Work Research, National Association of Deans and Directors of Schools of Social Work and National Association of Social Workers.
Group for the Advancement of Doctoral Education in Social Work– This organization is comprised of the directors of social work programs within educational institutions.
Educational Resources for Social Workers
Social Work Student Center– This website offers students a list of valuable resources that can be used to help them attain their goal of completing an education in the field of social work.
Social Work Twitter Accounts
@NASW- The official twitter account of the National Association of Social Workers.
@NPSW- The official twitter account of the Network of Professional Social Workers.
@newsocialworker – This twitter account is the official account of the magazine The New Social Worker.
@LMSWstudyguide – The purpose of this twitter account is to offer assistance to students studying for the social work certification examination.
@Socialworknews – Social workers that follow this account will find a vast amount of information about the latest news and changes within the field of social work.
@beasocialworker – This twitter account seeks to recruit new people to the field of social work.
@Getsocworkjobs – Experienced social workers as well as recent graduates will find a number of job openings posted to this account.